Southern California’s Ronald Jones II (25) is tackled by Notre Dame’s KeiVarae Russell (6) and Cole Luke (36) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015, in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame won the game 41-31. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, file)

Notre Dame has not visited the Coliseum with a losing record in 30 years.

Its last trip might offer USC a warning, though.

On Thanksgiving weekend in 1986, the Fighting Irish arrived in Los Angeles with a 4-6 record and little at stake. The Trojans, meanwhile, were ranked No. 17.

Coach Lou Holtz was in his first season. Over the weeks during that fall, his team had fallen by the slimmest of margins, from a one-point loss to Michigan in the season opener to a two-point defeat at LSU the previous week. In total, Notre Dame’s six losses were by an average margin of 5.3 points, and five of them came by five points or less.

But the Fighting Irish emerged as winners over USC, 38-37, after mounting a 17-point, fourth-quarterback comeback. John Carney hit a 19-yard field goal as time expired.

“I’ve said many times, it was like going to the altar five times and getting jilted every time,” Holtz said afterward. “It gets tough to get ‘em to come back that sixth time. But our kids kept coming back.”

USC on Saturday hosts a similarly struggling Notre Dame team, which sits 4-7 overall and has been outdone in close games. It has lost the seven contests by an average of 4.6 points.

“Their record does not match the personnel,” Trojans coach Clay Helton said.

After seven consecutive wins, the No. 12 Trojans have been positioned for a second straight Pac-12 South title, but their matchup with the Fighting Irish has no bearing on if they can secure the division and advance to the conference title game. They need Colorado to lose to Utah on Saturday night.

That leaves this intersectional rivalry with seemingly less importance. Helton, though, has urged his team not to overlook Notre Dame. Heed history.

“This is a rivalry game,” Helton said, “so throw the records out the window.”

When USC has the ball

After September, it looked like Jones was highly unlikely to reach that mark. He had 132 yards in four games.

But lately, the sophomore running back has broken out, running for 121 yards in last week’s win over UCLA, his third 100-yard game in the past four. He is 95 yards away from eclipsing last year’s total and 107 yards from the 1,000-yard mark.

“I see an extra aura of confidence,” Helton said. “Sometimes as a young player, all you need is a little bit of success and then it just snowballs.”

Jones took over as USC’s primary running back when Justin Davis went down with a high ankle sprain in October and helped to add a dynamic element to the offense, along with quarterback Sam Darnold.

Over the past two months, as they have won seven consecutive games, the Trojans have been explosive, averaging 6.9 yards per play.

For comparison’s sake, only eight teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision average 7.0 yards per play or better over the course of this season.

With Darnold as the starter, USC is 7-1 this season, averaging 36 points per game.

“That’s been a transformation for that football team offensively,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “He’s as good as I’ve seen in a long, long time. His escapability, his ability to throw on the run, his accuracy, I don’t see anything there that is anything short of brilliant in terms of the way he’s playing right now. And of course, he’s got a great supporting cast.”

Darnold and Co. will face a middling Notre Dame that saw its coordinator, Brian Vangorder, fired early in the season.

The Fighting Irish rank 55th nationally in scoring defense (27 points per game) and 41st in total defense (376 yards per game).

When Notre Dame has the ball

The No. 1 overall selection of the 2016 NFL draft, Jared Goff, stepped onto the Coliseum field last Sunday, as he made his first start for the Rams.

Could the top pick of the 2017 draft be there Saturday?

Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer is a threatening 6-foot-4 passer who is expected to be a high draft choice next spring and has an array of skills.

“Definitely a kid that’s going to play on Sundays,” Helton said this week.

Kizer has a strong arm and has passed for 2,705 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He is also the Fighting Irish’s second leading rushing, picking up 509 yards on the ground with seven more touchdowns. But teams have been able to pressure Kizer. Notre Dame has allowed 22 sacks this season, ranking 62nd in the country.

Lately, USC has been adept at getting pressure. In a 26-13 upset at Washington earlier in November, the Trojans sacked quarterback Jake Browning three times, including two from sophomore linebacker Porter Gustin, evidence of a young defensive front that has grown steadily this season.

“We’ve taken exactly what we’ve had, which were talented kids, just young and progressed throughout the year,” Helton said.

Gustin is one of several sophomores up front, along with defensive ends Rasheem Green and Malik Dorton, and linebacker Cameron Smith.

“I think the light is starting to turn on for some of the guys,” defensive line coach Kenechi Udeze said.

USC’s defense has also surged on its seven-game winning streak, allowing 4.9 yards per play and 17 points per game.

Joey Kaufman is the USC beat writer for the Southern California News Group. Since joining the Orange County Register in 2015, he has also covered Major League Baseball and UCLA athletics. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors and Football Writers Association of America. Kaufman grew up in beautiful downtown Burbank.

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